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To Blog

What is rock mulch?

March 3, 2020
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Construction, Landscape Design, Landscaping, Maintenance, Materials
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Posted by Parveen

What is it?

What is rock mulch? I get this question a lot.

It stems from the general perception that “mulch” only relates to material made from chipped wood.

Rock “mulch” is basically a groundcover material made of your chosen size of screenings, pebbles or small rocks.

Now you’re going to ask me, what are these in turn as they all seem to mean the same thing?

In fact they don’t.  Let’s explore them below.

The different types

Pebbles – These are generally more rounded and are generally sold as river pebbles.  So they look more “polished” and less rough.

Screenings – These are usually used as the base to make concrete and usually bought in bulk.  They are “rough” looking visually and to the touch.

Mini rocks – these can either be small and fit within your fist or they can get as large as a foot or bigger in size.  Some are rounded whilst some are a little flat.

All of the above come in different sizes, from different sources (both local and overseas) and have different colours or tones.

View of courtyard with wall to wall water feature from the upstairs bedrooms

The colour variation is larger in products bought in bulk.  Highly polished pebbles bought in small bags have minimal colour variation.  All of these are “mined” and are natural stone.  The sizing varies between them, ranging from as small as 7mm to a foot or larger.

None of these products are “toppings” and do not have concrete in them.  So they are loose textured when walked on.

Are they really mulch?

Definitely.
“Mulch is any material that is spread or laid over the surface of the soil as a covering. It is used to retain moisture in the soil, suppress weeds, keep the soil cool, and make the garden bed look more attractive.”
The only thing rock mulch probably doesn’t as well as timber or organic mulch is to keep the ground as cool – something that you should remember when you’re designing your garden.  Why?  They attract heat so this will impact your planting choices and you need to make modifications to your plan to get around this challenge!

Why do I love using them?

I love using natural materials in my designs that I love including rocks of any form in them, when I can.  I do of course have my favourites!

Examples of how to use them

Glen Waverley garden design with dry rock creek bed and mixed planting of exotics and native Australian plants

Try jazzing up your garden with some of these looks if you like using rock!  It’s just a matter of finding the right colour, sizes and texture that appeals to you!

Closeup of succulents used in Brighton garden design front entry path

Vermont South A

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Kew

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Blackburn

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Ashburton A

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Burwood

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Hungry for more information on using rocks and pebbles in your garden?

Then check out the following articles:

What is mulch?

Rock v Bark

In the meantime, visit my past projects below which may give some inspiration!

Doncaster

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Glen Waverley

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Doncaster East

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Vermont South A

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Ashburton A

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If you need further suggestions or design or plantscaping both indoors and outdoors, please contact us for an onsite 90 minute consultation. 

Refer to our packages for further detail on how we can help you in the consults and subsequently throughout your garden implementation process.

Our passion your garden! xx

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A snippet from a favourite design from 2020! ⁠⠀
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Completed last Sept and about to arrange for some professional shots of it soon!⁠⠀
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Probably the best part of the design for me was to see my client's fervour around building the nautilus feature and actually making that happen!  You'll have to see it in real life to believe it as it not only looks amazing but gives her a sense of pride whenever she drives home!⁠⠀
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No more a boring front garden with a square grassed area but something unique to come home to, surrounded by plants that make her happy and a garden she loved designing for herself! 💚
This is one thing that continues to fascinate me!⁠⠀
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I LOVE it when ferns unfurl.  It's almost magical and done with such grace of movement!⁠⠀
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From the alternating leaf pattern, the prominent lateral veins to the spores that finally appear underneath their leaves, it's so well planned and amazing!⁠⠀
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Isn't nature simply beautiful!!? 💚⁠⠀
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What's your favourite fern?
Feature pots for smaller spaces or courtyards. ⁠ Feature pots for smaller spaces or courtyards. ⁠⠀
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The decision is a little trickier than you would initially think but here are some tips that can help!⁠⠀
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🌿Colours - lighter to make the area larger⁠⠀
🌿Size & number - would also depend on what you intend to plant and the aesthetic you'd want to create but if space is really limited I'd perhaps chose a single reasonably sized pot (to facilitate good root growth) that would allow for some layering of plants⁠⠀
🌿Opening - what  I mean by this is the "mouth" of the pot.  This has practical implication for on-going repotting and maintenance.  The wider the opening the easier to repot down the track!⁠⠀
🌿Texture - i love the earthy ones as they feel natural and similarly anything with laid stone or are handcrafted just adds that something extra but these tend to be expensive!⁠⠀
🌿Type - chose the look that compliments the overall style and aesthetic for your space.  For example, you'd not want to chose an ultra modern geometric pot for a farmhouse style cottagey space!  The pot here was chosen to compliment the earthy paving colour and was in line with the shapes of other structures in the courtyard!⁠⠀
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What are your key styling tips!  Do share! 💚⁠⠀
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⁠Slow and steady gets there eventually!⁠⠀
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Finally my dwarf senecio has got to a reasonable size and is looking very adorable at the moment!⁠⠀
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What especially I love about it is that it has a rounded growth and almost 'shines' at night against the moonlight which is why I've planted it next to the path!⁠⠀
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What's your favourite succulent? 💚⁠⠀
Need I say more? Well I'm pretty much plant and g Need I say more?  Well I'm pretty much plant and garden obsessed anyway LOL!⁠⠀
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Hope that you’re making your garden your priority in 2021. It's good for the mind, body and soul! 💚
One of my favourite colour combinations in the gar One of my favourite colour combinations in the garden - something purplish blue against a deeper green!⁠⠀
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This geranium sleeps in winter and pops it's head up at start of spring, misleading anyone to think that it's just a boring flat area of green!  My youngest initially thought it was a weed and I luckily stopped her in time before she plucked the geranium out! 😅⁠⠀
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What's your favourite perennial or deciduous plant that you like popping up again in the cheer of warmer weather? 💚
Finally another one of my baby vireya rhododendron Finally another one of my baby vireya rhododendron's has flowered!!⁠⠀
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Not sure of the name of this one but it's got such a lovely vibe to it.  I just love how the petals soften into a baby pink and curl at the ends. ⁠⠀
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Been meaning to contact the grower I met back in MIFGS back in 2016 when I bought it to ask about its name. Why? Because I've misplaced its tag which was rather silly of me to be honest!  Well it's on my to do list now for sure!⁠⠀
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If anyone does know it's name in the meantime do please PM me as I would be really grateful! 💚
What's better than this?⁠💦⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Havin What's better than this?⁠💦⁠⠀
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Having an elegant pool area with some mood lighting to create the ambience you'd love to share with your loved ones.⁠⠀
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Great for entertainment and an after New Year party chill out! ⁠⠀
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So a VERY happy new year from me!!!⁠⠀
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I would like to sincerely thank everyone for the support in a very challenging 2020 and let us all look forward to a greater year in 2021.⁠⠀
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Thank you all for the opportunities, connections and friendships that were built along the way.⁠⠀
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Thanks especially to my family who continue to endure me going off on a plant chase, picture taking mania or talking incessantly about landscaping.⁠⠀
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Thank you to all my new and long-term “anchor” clients some of whom have been with me from the inception - you know who you are!! 💚- who continue to put up with the changes in my business structure, my obsession with making your dream garden and for allowing me, very graciously, to be part of your garden journeys!⁠⠀
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Here’s wishing everyone peace, health, happiness and prosperity in the new year. ⁠⠀
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Let the gentle spirit of love flood our hearts and homes. ⁠⠀
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Let us create some wonderful memories to cherish in the years that follow!⁠⠀
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Warmest regards and best wishes for a wonderful start to the year!⁠⠀
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Parveen Dhaliwal⁠⠀
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With 2020 coming to and end is the promise of exci With 2020 coming to and end is the promise of exciting builds to designs completed this year that I'll get be involved in 2021!⁠⠀
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Most excited about this one given the research and effort that went into it!⁠⠀
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Sunken garden oasis for a young family to enjoy - can't wait!!! 

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy and safe new year!!!💚
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What is rock mulch? | Inspiring Landscape Solutions